Contemplative Practices in the Classroom: A Cross-Discipline Discussion

Introducing contemplative practices, such as meditation, reflective listening, or directed silence, into the classroom can provide students with methods for the development of awareness, attentiveness and mindfulness. Higher education is traditionally grounded in a detached approach to learning, done in the service of fostering critical thinking. While objective analysis is a vital skill, such an approach may leave out the students’ lived experience. Incorporating contemplative practices fosters a student’s development of self- knowledge, compassion and the ability to embody theory in practice. This roundtable discussion will provide attendees with an introduction to contemplative practices and their use in higher education; descriptions of how faculty from history, psychology and social work incorporate contemplative practices into their classes; and ideas they can incorporate into their teaching